Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium

The Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the north central United States, on the campus of South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. It is the home venue of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The stadium was constructed in phases on the previous Coughlin-Alumni Stadium site and has a seating capacity of 19,340. The field has a traditional north-south alignment at an approximate elevation of 1,620 feet (495 m) above sea level.

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium

View from east in 2016
Brookings Location in the United States Show map of the United States Brookings Location in South Dakota Show map of South Dakota
Address	1396 Stadium Road
Location	South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota, U.S.
Coordinates	44.321°N 96.780°W / 44.321; -96.780
Owner	South Dakota State University
Operator	South Dakota State University
Capacity	19,340
Record attendance	19,431
Surface	AstroTurf
Construction
Broke ground	2014
Opened	2016; 8 years ago (2016)[1]
Construction cost	$65 million
Tenants
South Dakota State Jackrabbits (NCAA) (2016–present) Brookings High School Bobcats (SDHSAA) (2016–present)

It was funded through private gifts and long-term revenue streams, including expanded club seats, loge boxes, and a premium suite level. Lead gifts totaling $12.5 million from Sioux Falls banker Dana Dykhouse and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford were announced in October 2013 and the stadium opened in 2016.

The stadium project was approved by the state Legislature during the 2014 session and signed into law by Governor Dennis Daugaard. Construction began in the fall of 2014 with the east and south stands completed in August 2015; the remainder of the project was finished by the next football season in August 2016.^[2]

History

The opening event at the stadium in 2016 was the Jacks Bash concert, which featured country music artists Lee Brice, Little Big Town, and Luke Bryan on September 8. Two days later, the football team opened up the stadium with a 56–28 win over the Drake Bulldogs. SDSU posted a 6–1 record at home during the 2016 season, including a playoff win over the Villanova Wildcats.

South Dakota State posted a 30–5 (.857) record at the stadium in its first five seasons.

Attendance records

Rank	Attendance	Date	Game Result
1	19,431	November 4, 2023	1 South Dakota State 33, 11 North Dakota State 16
2	19,376	September 14, 2024	1 South Dakota State 24, Augustana 3
3	19,371	October 26, 2019	3 South Dakota State 16, 1 North Dakota State 23
4	19,357	October 14, 2023	1 South Dakota State 41, Northern Iowa 6
5	19,351	October 26, 2024	3 South Dakota State 20, 4 South Dakota 17
6	19,332	October 8, 2022	2 South Dakota State 28, South Dakota 3
7	19,332	September 9, 2023	1 South Dakota State 20, 3 Montana State 16
8	19,331	October 12, 2024	1 South Dakota State 63, Youngstown State 13
9	19,321	September 7, 2024	1 South Dakota State 45, 12 Incarnate Word 24
10	19,041	October 29, 2022	1 South Dakota State 49, Indiana State 7
11	18,130	November 4, 2017	10 South Dakota State 33, 2 North Dakota State 21
12	18,122	November 6, 2021	9 South Dakota State 27, 2 North Dakota State 19
13	17,730	October 22, 2016	7 South Dakota State 24, 13 Youngstown State 10
14	16,889	October 23, 2021	6 South Dakota State 17, 20 Northern Iowa 26
15	16,887	September 17, 2016	9 South Dakota State 31, Cal Poly 38
16	16,414	September 17, 2022	2 South Dakota State 45, Butler 17
17	16,258	August 31, 2023	1 South Dakota State 45, Western Oregon 7
18	15,806	September 16, 2017	4 South Dakota State 51, Drake 10
19	15,345	November 12, 2016	11 South Dakota State 28, South Dakota 21
20	15,237	October 1, 2022	2 South Dakota State 34, Western Illinois 10

Student Section

The Student section for South Dakota State sits on the south end of the stadium with the band centered in the middle. The student section often fills the end zone and helps to create a loud environment inside of Dana J Dykhouse Stadium. On August 31, 2017, South Dakota State broke a student attendance record when 4,251 students packed the stands against Duquesne in the stadiums first ever Thursday night game. South Dakota State won the game 51-14.

South Dakota State's student section has an official student organization called the Barnyard Cadets. This group organizes a student gathering on campus before each Jackrabbit home game before the whole student body walks toward the stadium from the south.

See also

• List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums

References

1. "Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Gameday Information". 7 September 2016.
2. "The Official Site of South Dakota State Athletics". www.gojacks.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.